Why is the Upload Button Blurred Out? (Aspera Not Running)

Fix a greyed-out upload button in Launchpad by getting IBM Aspera for Desktop running and connected to your browser.

Overview

If the upload button on your Launchpad package page appears greyed out or blurred, this means the IBM Aspera for Desktop app is not currently running or connected on your computer. Follow the steps below to resolve this.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 — Respond to the browser prompt

When you open or refresh a package page in Launchpad, your browser will automatically try to launch the Aspera app and display a prompt similar to this:

• Click Open IBM Aspera to launch the app. The upload button will become active once Aspera is running.
• If you click Cancel, the Aspera app will not start and the upload button will remain unavailable — see Step 2 below.

Step 2 — If you clicked Cancel

Chrome won't show the prompt again on its own once you cancel it. To get it back:

1. Select the Site Settings icon next to the address bar.
2. Find Apps on device and select Reset permission.
3. Refresh the page — the prompt will appear again, ready for you to select Open IBM Aspera.

Step 3 — If Aspera isn't installed

If Aspera for Desktop is not installed on your computer, you will see a dialog on your package page indicating Aspera is not detected.

To resolve this, install IBM Aspera for Desktop by following our guide: Uploading files with the Aspera for Desktop App. Once installed, refresh the page and click Open IBM Aspera when prompted (Step 1).

Troubleshooting & FAQs

What about Aspera Connect?

On the "Aspera not detected" screen you may notice a link that reads "Aspera Connect installed? Use the extension instead (deprecated)". We strongly recommend you do not use this option. Support for the Aspera Connect browser extension is being removed from Launchpad. If you choose it, you will see a deprecation warning:

You will also be prompted to choose between the app and the extension on every page refresh. Switching to the Aspera for Desktop app avoids this and ensures continued support.

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